Elevated railway



2 SHGGES STIG 611' 1 (No MQdl.)

13(1). READ.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

Patented Nov. 22, 1887.

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-2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

D. D. READ.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

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- will afford the least possible obstruction to the wheels or pairs ofwheels at the base, that susor pairs of wheels above the car-body, which1 trusses are necessarily in a different plane from trussed suspensionplan, which affords great UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. DEAN READ, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

. ELEVATED RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of lbet ters Patent No. 373,605, datedNovember 22, 1887.

Application filed June 15, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. DEAN READ, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Elevated Railways, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

The object of my invention, relating to ele vated railways, is toproduce a railway that streets in which it maybe erected, both as toground-space occupied by the foundations and air-space occupied bythesuperstructure. The rails or supports for the cars are beneath themiddle of the cars, which have centrally-located tain the weight, andcentrally-located wheels may take a portion of the weight, but the mainfunction of which is to retain the car in upright position, as the lowersupport in itself is not wide enough to afford the requsite stability.The track or road is constructed on the length of span between thecolumns or supporting-uprights, so that a less number of such columnswill be required than in plans of elevated-railway construction usuallyadopted. The columns are extended to a height above the tops of the carsand form the supports for the suspension-cables, and at a short distancebelow their tops support a narrow truss, with which is connected therail or rails for the wheels above the cars; and lower down the columnssupport the truss that sustains the rail or track on which the wheelsbeneath the cars run, the said truss being also supported from thesuspension-cables. For a double-track road a single line of columnsbetween the tracks may be used,the trusses being supported at eitherside of the said columns and the cars running by the sides of thecolumns; or in some cases it may be desirable to make double columns,between which the trusses are supported and the cars run. In either casethe the suspension-cables, and rest on short cross beams or bracessupported on the columns and on the cables. The cars are preferablynarrow in proportion to their height, and the Serial No. 241,411. (Nomodel.)

seats may be arranged in any convenient manner to best accommodate theoccupants.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of one span of an elevated railway embodyingthis invention, sho wing, also, in side elevation, one of thepassenger-stations and the stairway leading to it and one of the cars;Fig. 2, a plan view of the railway structure; Fig. 3, a cross-sectionshowing the construction in which the vertical columns are between thetwo tracks; Fig. 4, a similar section showing the'construction in whicha double column or upright is used, with the tracks between the twomembers; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the column represented in -Fig. 3;Fig. 6, a transverse vertical section of one of the cars, showingtheconstruction of the wheels and rails; and Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive,details of construction of the various parts, to be hereinafter referredto.

The structure is supported at suitable points on columns or uprights a,Figs. 1 and 2, which may be of any suitable construction, beingpreferably, as shown, an open-trussed framework composed of angle orchannel iron uprights, and connecting diagonal members of plate-ironriveted thereto. The said columns are extended upward to a point somedistance above the top of the cars, when the latter are supported at theproper distance above the roadway, as shown, and thus afford an elevatedpoint of support for suspension-cables b, proportioned to sustain thegreater part .of the load on the span between each-two consecutivecolumns along the line of the structure. The said cables, which arepreferably two in numher, as shown in Fig. 2, support at their middlepoint a cross-beam, 0, upon which rest the trusses d, that constitutethe road-bed or main support for the traveling load, said trusses eachbeing practically a continuous girder, composed of upper and lowermembers of channel or angle iron connected by suitable bracing-ofplate-iron all securely riveted together. The said trussesd aresupported on the cross-beam c, at the middle of the cables b, and onsimilar cross-beams supported directly on the columns a, and thus, owingto the support of the cables I), have to be only of a strength andstiffness sufficient to support the load on half the span between thetwo columns,

the effect of thecables 6 being equivalent to that of another columnintermediate between the two shown; and as the portion of the columns aabove the truss d or road-bed and the cables I) affords but littleobstruction to light and air, the whole structure is much more desirablethan one composed of a similar truss supported on double the number ofcolumns extending only from the road-bed to the truss. The upper part ofthe columns a also forms the support for cross-beams or members e,(seeFigs. 3 and 4,) on which are supported continuous trusses f, at theproper height to extend along above the cars in the same plane as thetrusses (1 below the cars. The said trusses f are also supported betweenthe columns a upon cables I) on the said columns a.

For a double-track road the columns a and cables b supported thereon maybe placed between the trusses d, as shown in Fig. 3, or the said columnsmay be made in two parts, a a", as shown in Fig. 4, with the cross-beamsor members a and esupported between them,and the trusses d and fextending along between the said members a a of the verticalsupports orcolumns. This latter construction of the columns is preferably for asingle-track road.

The construction of the car and the co-operating rails of the track isbest shown in Fig. 6, the car-body m being provided below its base withtwo trucks, a, each swiveled on a bolt, 0 so as to conform to sharpcurves in the track. The lower wheels, 0, may be made as shown in Figs.6, S, and 9, each as a single wide wheel running onjournals o, andhaving two grooves or treads, 0, that co-operate with the rails 1).(Shown as consisting of two angleirons or a single channel-iron securelyfastened to the upper member, (1, of the truss d.) The bearing-piece ofor the wheels is inclosed in a cylindrical portion or drum, 0, formingpart ofa frame, 0 (shown in underneath plan in Fig. 7,) securelyfastened to the car-body and affording a suitable bearingsupport for thesaid swiveled bearing-pieces 0 of the trucks. The said rails 12 form,practically, a portion of the upper member of the truss, and inelose adeep channel between them which may contain a propelling-cable, 7, whencable propulsion is to be used for the cars.

In some cases it may be desirable to make the supporting-wheels inpairs, as represented at 0*", Fig. 10, instead of using the constructionshown in Fig. 9. Although the supporting-wheels afford a considerablewidth of base of support for the car,they would not ofthemselves givethe requisite stability; and in order to maintain the cars in theirupright position they are provided at their top with swiveled hangersif, provided with wheels t, that run on flaugesa on aninverted- Ushapediron, a, connected with the lower member of the upper truss, f, as shownin Fig. 6.

\Vhile the main function of-the truss f and flanges or rails a supportedthereon, and the co-operating trucks or wheels and hangers of the ear,is to keep the said cars upright, these parts may be constructed andproportioned to sustain a greater or less part of the weight of v thecars and their contents, and the inverted- U-shaped iron u afiordsaconvenient support and protection for an electric cable, 1), which maybe used when the trains are to be propelled by electricity, the saidcable beingsuitably insulated from the truss and the electricityconveyed from it to the electric loeomotive by means ofa roller or brushconnected with the said locomotive and traveling along in electricalcontact with the said cable.

The construction of the frame-piece of, that connects the upper trucksor hangers with the car-body, is substantially the same as that oftheloWerframe-pieee. (Representedin Fig. 7.)

The ear-body m is shown as provided with sliding doors in at its sides,and the usual end platforms are not required.

The construction of the station is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the samebeing supported on columns a, a at the side of the track, said columnssupporting a platform, a", at the level of the car-floor and a roof orawning, a, above the said platform, which may be also supported betweenthe columns a a upon a suspension cable, I)", connected with the upperends of-thecolumns a and a and anchored to the cross-beams c of theadjacent spans of the track. The said platform a is provided at itsentrance with a ticket office, a", reached from the street by steps a,or any suitable or usual elevating mechanism.

There will usually be two station-platforms rco at the same locality-oneat each side of the tracks-and the strains of the supporting-connectionsbetween the track and station structures will thus be balanced.

By employing the comparatively narrow supporting-track placed centrallyover the supportingtruss d, as herein shown, the usual cross tiers orsleepers for supporting the rails may be omitted, and one of thegreatest obstructions to light and air removed. The pairs of trusses dand f may, however, be connected by light cross-bracing, as shown at dFig. 2, to afford stiffness against lateral pressure'derived from windor from the swaying of the cars.

The cars are shown in Fig. 3 as provided with safety-braces of,extending down from the carbody nearly to the lower member of thesupporting truss d, and thus serving to prevent the car from overturningin case any accident should happen to the upper track or hangers.

The different cars of the train may be connected closely together, asthere are no end platforms, andthe cardoors will be connected bysuitable mechanism throughout the train to enable all to be opened andclosed bya single attendant at any desired point on the train.

The bolts 1'', (see Fig. 6,) that form journals for thesupporting-rollers for the propelling cable a, are fastened tightly tothe irons 12 that form the rails, and thus prevent them from spreadingunder the weight.

It may in some cases be desirable to con- IIC struct the rails as shownin Fig.11, in which the irons p may be farther apart than in theconstruction shown in Fig. 6, and fastened together at an intermediatepoint by a plate, 1, provided with openings in which thecablesupport-ing pulleys or rollers are placed. With such widened track(represented in Fig. 11) the construction of truck represented in Fig.10 will generally be used.

The construction of the'track and trucks above the car may be the sameas that of the track and trucks below the car.

I claim- 1. An elevated-railway structure comprising supporting-columnsextending above the road-bed and a lower supportingtruss extended besideand supported on said columns, at a point between the upper and lowerends thereof, and supporting-cables supported on the upper ends of saidcolumns and sustaining said trusses between the columns, an upper truss,vertically over the first, supported on the columns near their upperends, and cables supported on the upper ends of said columns andsustaining the said upper trusses between the columns,-the whole forminga railway 00- operating with cars provided with trucks above and below,and co-operating with rails supported on said upper and lower trusses,substantially as described,

2. A car-body haviiig a swiveled hanger above, provided with two wheelsturning on substantially horizontal axes and arranged side bysidein adirection transverse to the car, and supporting-trucks below the car,and co-operating upper tracks consisting of an inverted channelhavingsubstantiallyhorizontalflanges at its lower edges, on which thewheels of the upper trucks run, and a supporting-track below thecar-body and cooperating with the lower trucks, substantially asdescribed.

3. A ear-body having swiveled beneath it trucks combined with wheelssupported in said trucks, having two rail-engaging grooves or treadportions, and swiveled hangers above said cars provided withwheels, thesaid wheels above and below the cars co-operating with rails forming achannel-shaped track, substantially as described.

4. A car-body provided with centrally-located trucks below, havingwheels, with two rail-engaging grooves or tread portions co-operatingwith rails of a channel-shaped track, combined with a support above thecar-body, by which the latter is retained in upright position on thesupporting-rails below, substantially as described.

5. In an elevated-railway structure, the supportingtruss andchannel-shaped iron fastened to the upper member of said truss, theupper edges of said channel forming the supportingtrack of therailway,substantiall y as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

1). DEAN READ.

Witnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL.

